During the Depression, people understood real recycling and fixed things instead of tossing them out. They relied on family, friends and faith, and not on the government. I'm not trying to go down a time tunnel, but a little of that builds character— which I think as a nation we are sadly lacking. It would be nice to see kids outside playing softball instead of glued to their ipods and video games.

Of course, there were a lot of terrible things about the Depression— the rise of fascism, exploitation of migrant workers, sudden closing of banks- wiping out millions of depositors.